On June 29, former PRISTIN member Jung Eunwoo opened up about the reasons for the group’s 2019 disbandment, despite having a strong debut and following in 2017. In a video shared on social media, Eunwoo discussed her experiences under Pledis, including the company’s mismanagement of PRISTIN during its short-lived career and lack of group activities up until a certain point. Here’s how the promising girl group went from survival show fame to quietly disappearing from the K-pop industry altogether in less than two years.

Before PRISTIN was formed, seven of the ten members had competed in the first season of Produce 101 in 2016, a talent-based survival show aimed to form K-pop groups from trainees across various entertainment companies. The competing members included Nayoung, Roa, Yuha, Eunwoo, Rena, Kyulkyung, and Xiyeon. While five of them were eliminated, Nayoung and Kyulkyung finished as two of the top contestants, solidifying their place in the 11-member project group I.O.I.

Concurrently, Pledis Entertainment officially announced Pledis Girlz, a pre-debut project group designed to build a grassroots fanbase through regular live performances. From May to September 2016, Pledis Girlz held weekly performances, with the exception of Nayoung and Kyulkyung who were already promoting with I.O.I. The pre-debut unit only released one song as Pledis Girlz, a promotional single called “We,” written by members Roa, Eunwoo, Sungyeon, and Xiyeon. In January 2017, the group held its final concert, Bye & Hi, before being rebranded as PRISTIN.

Two months later, the girl group made its official debut with the EP, Hi! Pristin, and its coinciding title track, “Wee Woo.” The lively dance-pop number became an instant hit, debuting at number 52 on the Gaon Digital Chart, appeared on Billboard’s World Digital Songs at number 11, and sold over 138,000 digital copies and garnered over 3.8 million streams by the end of April. Additionally, PRISTIN also became the first rookie group to perform their debut song during Mnet Present’s live broadcast in March 2017. One of the album’s B-sides, “Black Widow,” also gained attention for its stark contrast from “Wee Woo,” incorporating more hip-hop and EDM for that trendy girl-crush effect.

In August, PRISTIN made their first comeback with its second — and ultimately, final — EP, SCHXXL OUT. With the album’s title track, “We Like,” the group further cemented its bright dance-pop sound, though not as popular as “Wee Woo.” It also didn’t help that the lyrics of “We Like” stirred a bit of controversy among the Korean public. In a small portion of the song, members Rena and Yuha respectively the lines, “I'll pick out what I want to eat, but I'll also take care of the bill. You don't see this often, you'll be more attracted to someone like me." To international fans, these are standard “girl power” lyrics, and considered admirable for women to take charge and take care of themselves. However, Korean audiences didn’t see it that way, criticizing the song for suggesting that it’s uncommon for women to pay their own bills.

In response, Pledis changed and re-recorded Yuha’s lyrics entirely to: “After all, I'm the type to be straightforward about what I like and don't like." Meanwhile, Rena’s line remained intact, with no statement issued from the agency.

On October 12, Pledis announced its youngest member, Kyla, would take a break from group activities due to health issues. As a result, she returned home to the United States to prioritize her recovery. After months of inactivity from PRISTIN, the group would eventually form its first and only sub-unit, PRISTIN V, in May 2018. The five members — Nayoung, Roa, Eunwoo, Rena, and Kyulkyung — made their debut with the single album Like A V, and its title track, “Get It.” Compared to PRISTIN’s soft and bubbly singles, PRISTIN V focused more on a blend of contemporary R&B and trap elements, becoming a more mature take on the group. While the song achieved moderate commercial success, “Get It” has since gained a cult following and has become widely celebrated as one of K-pop’s best girl-crush tracks.

But despite being a generally well-received and popular group, PRISTIN’s trajectory was unfortunately cut short when Pledis announced the group’s disbandment on May 24. While Kyulkyung, Yehana, and Sungyeon would stay with the company, the remaining members — Xiyeon, Rena, Roa, Kyla, Nayoung, Yuha, and Eunwoo — parted ways. The disbandment came after little to no activities in over a year and no new full-group releases since “We Like.”

That brings us to Eunwoo’s recent livestream, shedding a little more light on why Pledis ultimately failed PRISTIN. “Why did Pristin disband? I started my trainee life from middle school third year. Naturally, Pledis was my first company, and all members were also with their first companies,” the 28-year-old explained. “I also appeared on ‘Produce 101’ and debuted, and we were a highly anticipated group. I had high expectations too. I can’t share all the details, but the company had many groups to manage and numerous things to handle.”

At the time PRISTIN debuted, fellow Pledis group SEVENTEEN was already two years into its career and considered one of K-pop’s top boy groups of its generation, even being mentioned on the same level as senior groups EXO and BTS. Somewhere in between juggling both SEVENTEEN and PRISTIN, the latter fell through the cracks of Pledis’ management. “As we gradually got pushed aside, opportunities didn’t come our way. At the time, it was tough, but looking back now, it was a valuable and meaningful experience,” Eunwoo added.

Even so, the singer reaffirmed she has no regrets about her choice to join Pledis and debut as a member of PRISTIN. “Even if I could go back in time, I would choose the same career, join the same company, and do everything the same way. I have no regrets. Since I’ve lived such an eventful life, I’ll gradually share these stories.”

Since then, both fans and PRISTIN members speak fondly of that era and cherish it, regardless of the corporate mishaps. Next year, “WEE WOO” will celebrate its 10th anniversary, and the fact that so many people still give it its flowers proves how impactful the song was and still is. Although fans long for what might’ve been for PRISTIN’s career with the right team, at least the group’s short stint can live on in K-pop history.